


Day 9- Sick Day

by Broken_Clover



Series: 12 Days of Whump [9]
Category: Guilty Gear
Genre: Caretaking, Chicken Soup, M/M, Mild Schmaltz, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 14:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17102222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: It's remarkably hard to get Venom to sit down and take a break, even when sick.





	Day 9- Sick Day

It took Daryl several minutes to think of the right words to say. Ultimately, he opted for the most blunt and straightforward.

“ _Mon chou_ , go back to bed. You look positively _dreadful_.”

Venom gave him a puzzled look, but it did nothing to diminish the odd pallor of his skin or the uneven breaths he took.

“Daryl, what do you mean? I’m perfectly fine.”

“With all respect, I have a difficult time believing that.” Daryl got out of his chair, going closer to the kitchen counter to get a better look at his partner. “I can already feel the heat coming off of you. I could hear you breathing from across the room. I don’t know what it is you’ve got, but you definitely aren’t well.”

“It’s alright, Daryl.” Venom turned away, back to the stove he was trying to cook on. “It’s possible I’ve got something, but I can deal with it just fine. I’ve dealt with much worse.”

“You sound awfully congested, too.”

“It’s just the humidity.”

“Does your throat hurt?”

“Daryl-”

“I really don’t think you should be-”

_”Daryl.”_ Venom snapped. Immediately after, he slumped against the counter. “N-nhh. Bad idea-”

“Venom?” Daryl approached again, reaching out a hand if Venom chose to take it. “What’s wrong?”

“Just a little dizzy. It’s fine, I’m perfectly okay-”

The Third King opted to place a hand on Venom’s shoulder, gently trying to coax him in the direction of the bedroom. “ _mon chou_ , I encourage you to reconsider. Even if you’re sure that you’ll be able to work, have you considered the health concerns of working in a bakery while ill?”

He could tell that he’d managed to change his mind, even if only slightly. Venom was nothing if not a logical man. “Perhaps...perhaps you have a point.”

“One day off won’t be the end of the world.” Daryl leaned over to switch off the stove before going back to nudging Venom back towards the bed. “If anything, I’d say you deserved a bit of free time.”

“Oh, I’m sure I can find a way to get work done. A little cold won’t have me completely incapacitated.”

Daryl tried not to sigh at that. “As long as you promise to actually let yourself rest.”

Venom hadn’t even been up long enough to change into his work clothing. Considering how late it had gotten already, he took that as another sign that his partner wasn’t his usual self. Daryl made an effort to not outright shove Venom back into bed, but he did linger closely, making sure that he didn’t change his mind suddenly and try to leave. He also had to remind himself not to drift too close for the sake of his own health. He definitely didn’t want to catch whatever Venom had.

“Would you like something to drink? I’ve got several teas that are good for clearing the sinuses.”

“I think I’ll be-” The man cut himself off to wheeze and sniffle. “O-on second thought, tea would be nice.”

Daryl smiled, heading back to the kitchenette. “I’m sure you’re going to love it.”

Though they’d spent the night together in the charming little home above the bakery, the Third King had spent the last few months of their relationship letting some of his personal affects find their place among Venom’s possessions, for one reason or another. It was only natural that some of his tea would end up in Venom’s cabinet. Considering the circumstances, it had been a wise choice.

While he put a pot of water on to boil, Daryl sent a magic-com call back to the castle. Ky and Leo didn’t seem particularly pleased by his impromptu ‘break,’ as it were, but Daryl was very sure that he wasn’t going to be able to make sure Venom let himself rest unless he stayed and kept an eye on him.

(The thought of nursing his partner back to health was also very enticing, though it wasn’t a fact he shared)

“Yes, Ky, of course I’ll try and get as much done as I can- no, Leo, I’m not going to get sick- yes I’m sure, now will you please calm down?”

“Just...please, Daryl. You can’t take time off so suddenly like this. I’d advise you to be a bit more responsible next time-”

“Yes, yes, I understand. Now pardon me, but the water is boiling.”

He let out a little relieved sigh as the communicator dispelled. It hadn’t gone as terribly as he had anticipated, but getting chewed out by Ky was never a pleasant experience. He was more than happy to return to the stove, taking the pot off of the heat and picking out a sweet-smelling tea to make.

“The tea is ready, how are you feeling?”

Venom was lying under the rumpled sheets, staring at the ceiling listlessly. He perked up slightly at the company. “I feel I shouldn’t be wasting time like this. Is it possible for you to grab my financial notes off of the coffee table?” He paused. “Thank you for the tea, it smells delicious.”

“Aha! I knew you’d like it.” Daryl handed over the teacup. “Are you sure you want to work? Will that be too much for you?”

“It’ll be fine. It’s just math. Please?”

Daryl tried not to look at the closest thing to puppy-dog eyes that Venom had ever given him, but he ultimately caved in. “Fine! Just as long as you promise not to do anything more than that.”

“Of course. I promise.”

The king wasn’t sure how much he believed him yet, but he went to go retrieve the documents. The living room’s curtains had been pushed open, revealing the sudden downpour of snow that definitely hadn’t been there before. It seemed he was going to be stuck at the bakery even if he didn’t want to.

“Here you go.” Venom was sipping at the tea when Daryl came back with his papers. “As long as I’m here, is there anything else you need?”

“Hmm…” The baker immediately went to work, leafing through what he’d been given. “Nothing comes to mind.”

“No food? Nothing?”

He shrugged. “I suppose that would be nice later. I’m not very picky, though. Feel free to do whatever you’d like. Help yourself to whatever’s in the cupboards.”

Fortunately, it seemed that Venom had gone out for groceries recently, and the kitchen was well-stocked. Daryl poured over the various ingredients, ultimately pulling out a large pot and trying to recall if he knew how to make soup.

It was nice to be able to cook again. How how busy he tended to be, he either ate what the staff made or just threw something together. There was something about the action of chopping vegetables and gradually putting something together step-by-step that was good for soothing the nerves. There wasn’t much of a rush, so it was no trouble to check in on Venom every so often, just to see if he was holding up alright and if he needed more tea.

Fortunately, it did seem like it wasn’t too severe of an illness. There was a bit of a fever, but Venom was still aware and coherent enough to to calculations. Daryl would have liked it better if the man was actually getting some sleep, but he knew he was lucky enough just to get him to sit down and take a sort-of break.

“The weather outside is rather frightful, _mon chou,_ did you see it?” Daryl pulled back the bedroom curtains to allow for a better view.

“I didn’t realize it was coming down so hard.” It was enough to get Venom to drop his pen. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to start a fire.”

“If you’d like a fire, I’d be more than happy to do that. But you are not getting up.”

Venom gave a little noise of displeasure, which Daryl opted to ignore. “Rest is good for you, are you trying to get sicker?”

The pot of soup was simmering quietly on the stove. The king took a whiff of it, and nodded in approval. “Not bad, Daryl. Not bad at all.”

He grabbed a clean bowl from the cabinet and scooped some out for Venom. There was more than enough for the both of them, probably enough to last a day or two if he put it away properly. As of the moment it was nice and hot, steaming with the scent of broth.

“Venom, I finished with-”

Somehow, after so long trying to talk him into resting, Venom had fallen asleep. Papers were still strewn over his chest, with one even still being clutched in his hand. The bed was a mess of sheets, and Venom looked like he had just dropped unconscious right in the middle of it.

Daryl covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. “Small miracles, I suppose.” He placed the bowl on the bedside table to carefully begun moving the papers off of the bed. Venom made a few little noises but never woke up, even as the blankets were dragged back over him and the hair was brushed out of his closed eyes.

Well, Daryl supposed, he could always eat later. “Get well soon, dearest.”


End file.
